Like Father's Best Friend, Like Daughter's Best Friend
by Wllflwr98
Summary: Riley struggles between helping Maya and doing what she feels will benefit her, even when Maya strongly urges her to stay on her side and keep the incident a secret. Meanwhile, when Cory finally catches the two of them, he realizes that Maya is much more similar to Shawn than he had previously known...
1. Introduction

_**Hey, everyone! As some of my followers may know, I am working on a series of stories that take place between the end of BMW up until the start of GMW, covering the untold stories that we were left with once Boy Meets World ended in 2000. However, this story IS NOT ONE OF THEM; I'm just taking a break to post this story that I was posting on an Instagram account I run that posts BMW/GMW related material. Also, that is one reason why I haven't been posting on this website as much.**_

_**I hope you all enjoy this story! **_

The day that Cory Matthews met Maya Hart, he knew that Riley had found the Shawn to her Cory. Instantly.

She had had that same tough, cocky spirit that she still has today. Maya's mother was the only one who Cory was able to meet, and afterwards, he barely ever saw her. Just like he rarely ever saw Virna or Chet Hunter around when he was with Shawn.

That was the first hint that Maya would be pretty similar to Shawn.

At first, Cory had been nervous for his daughter. He didn't want to see her go through the same hurt and hardships that he went through with his best friend.

But then, he remembered how great of a friend Shawn truly was to Cory, even when they did have their fair share of roadblocks. Shawn had almost always had his back, ready to protect Cory from anyone who threatened to hurt him. He did his best to give him solid, wise advice. And there was no one else in the world who could make Cory so ecstatic and light-hearted as Shawn Hunter could.

So, when he saw those qualities in Maya, he knew that whatever the two of them went through, it would all be worth it if they could just be understanding and caring towards each other. Because those two ingredients are the most important when cooking up a friendship as trying as Cory and Shawn's.

Cory thought he had been through it all with his best friend. They had faced every situation that he could envision; heck, they had even been through the ones he wouldn't have _ever_ expected.

Cory had seen Shawn at his highest point, and Shawn had seen Cory at his highest point. They had struggled with death, depression, confusion-whatever you could think of, they had probably faced it. And both of them had been there for each other at their lowest points.

But, Cory would have _never _expected that one of the most difficult things he had been through with Shawn would have been _so_ simple and basic. And Riley could say that she wouldn't have expected the same thing with Maya.


	2. Chapter 1

It was January. The month after the greatest time of the year, where the only things that matter are family, friends, and, in most kids' cases, presents. So, as one could imagine, the month after a time _that_ exciting would be pretty dull.

That's how Riley was feeling one bleak, rainy Thursday morning. She had somehow managed to lug herself through the first week back at school, but today was just too depressing.

All through morning classes, she was only able to focus on the fact that there would be no more nightly Christmas specials or movies playing on TV. She wouldn't be able to snuggle in the bay window with Auggie while gazing at the Christmas tree lights.

There wouldn't even be anymore aromas of rich, chocolate chip cookie cakes shaped like gingerbread men being pulled out from the oven. Riley couldn't bear to face it, but it was the truth; life after Christmas is always so boring.

So, with expectations for any type of excitement at all being so low, Riley definitely didn't expect that things could change so quickly in just one day.

Since Riley had been so preoccupied with mulling over the fact that Christmas was over, she hadn't even had time to notice something peculiar that had been happening in morning classes.

For some reason, during every class before lunch period, Maya had always been absent for the first 10 minutes of the class. She would always rush in late, taking a seat in the back of the classroom near the closest exit.

That didn't really tip Riley off, however, because even though the two of them would always sit up front in Cory's class, Maya would occasionally choose a back row seat in the other classes. Also, by the time Maya had gotten into class 10 minutes late, a front seat was already occupied.

But, what _really _should have tipped Riley off was the fact that Maya didn't look at _anyone_ throughout all the classes. In fact, she might as well have been having a staring contest with the floor. Her knee was bouncing consistently, and at some points, she would began to bite her nails.

That alone was _very_ rare for Maya, and she only usually did it when something was wrong.

Finally, after lunch, Riley was hanging by her locker with Lucas and Farkle, when she noticed that Maya wasn't even around.

"Hey," she suddenly asked, "Where's Maya?"

"I dunno." Lucas said, looking over his shoulder. "She's been acting really off today."

"She has?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, haven't you noticed?" Farkle said, obviously confused that Maya's best friend hadn't noticed her behavior. "She's been coming into every class so far 10 minutes late."

Riley's eyebrows drew together, suddenly concerned for her best friend, wherever she was.

Just then, Janitor Harley cracked open the door to her girl's bathroom, peeking out directly at Riley.

"Hey, Baby Baboon!" he said, using Riley's new nickname. "Your friend needs your help."


	3. Chapter 2

Well, right off the bat, that didn't sound good. At all.

Sharing a quick look with Farkle and Lucas, Riley headed for the girl's bathroom. As she squeezed past Janitor Harley, she found Maya standing in the middle of the bathroom, a scowl on her face as she threw out her arms.

"What was that?" Maya said angrily at Janitor Harley. Waving him off, she turned away and took a seat on the floor of a nearby bathroom stall, sighing as she laid her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Hey, I don't need another puke-machine to worry about, okay? I already clean up after enough of 'em as it is." Harley said.

So _that's_ where Maya was all morning. Oh, boy.

"Maya, what's he talking about?" Riley demanded

Rolling her eyes, Maya shook her head and tried to reassure her friend. "Nothing, I'm fine."

Turning to Riley as he left, Harley said, "Take her to the nurse or something, will you? Just get her out of my bathroom..."

Riley frowned, standing in the doorway of the bathroom stall. "You're sick, aren't you?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Maya knew she had been caught. Still, she tried to weasel out of it and act like she was fine. "I told you, I'm okay.."

Riley sat next to her on the floor, examining Maya's messy features. The sleeves of her red and black, checkered flannel shirt were pulled up past her elbows, the shirt underneath it had a faded stain on it, and her forehead was covered streaks of sweat. Not to mention that her brown eyes lacked their usual mischievous look, as they currently appeared tired and bloodshot.

Riley reached for her forehead to see if it was hot, but Maya suddenly pulled back and dodged her hand. Glaring at her friend, she shakily moved away from her.

"Maya, why didn't you tell me you were sick?" Riley whined, scooting closer to her.

"I don't know, I knew I could handle it on my own, I guess.." Maya said with a tone of desperation, suddenly wincing and taking a deep breath as she shoved her sleeves farther up her arms.

That answer right there showed that dependent, proud attitude that Riley knew so well. Maya tended to avoid asking others for help, and for the life of her, Riley had never been able to understand why.

"Maya," Riley said, sounding upset with her. "sometimes you _have_ to ask others for help. Don't you understand that?"

Maya didn't respond, as she had begun to vomit on the floor.

Riley started forward, pulling Maya from the floor and trying to guide her to the toilet. As Maya leaned over the toilet with the convulsions, Riley placed a comforting hand on her back, trying to assure her that it would be over soon.

When it all ended a few moments later, Maya panted as she shakily sat on the floor and laid her head against the wall. Riley quickly sat down next to her, her eyebrows furrowing into a worried expression as she looked at Maya.

"Are you alright?" she asked as Maya began to massage her stomach.

"Well, let's see-I just puked my guts out, my stomach's twisted into an actual knot, and I feel like it's both 20 and 80 degrees in here-yeah, I think I'm fine." Maya sarcastically snapped.

"Maybe I should go get my dad-"

"No!" Maya grabbed Riley's arm as she started to stand up. "Don't-don't go get your dad."

"But you're sick-"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Riley? I'm fine." Maya unsuccessfully insisted. "Just-go to class, you're already really late as it is.

Of course, Riley wasn't going to give into that pitiful excuse. It went against every fiber of her being to abandon a friend when they need her-or, at least when _she _thought they needed her.

"No, I'm staying." Riley sat down next to Maya again, slipping her hand into her Maya's cold, sweaty hand and squeezing it.

With a long sigh, Maya seemed to finally give into the fact that Riley wasn't leaving. No matter what. She knew she was lucky to have such a loyal, caring friend who would always be there for her, even when she didn't always want her to.

Maya laid her head on Riley's shoulder, Riley in turn laying her head on top of Maya's.

"You're always gonna be here for me, aren't you?" Maya said as she closed her eyes.

"I am." Riley said, glancing down at her friend with a smile.

_**Just a note: I don't own the phrase "puke-machines" that Janitor Harley uses at the beginning of this chapter. Janitor Bud said that in Boy Meets World: Season 2 in an episode called "Notorious".**_


	4. Chapter 3

When the bell finally rang for Cory's history class to begin, it seemed that Maya and Riley had no choice but to head to his class. After all, they had both missed 5th period, and if they missed Cory's class, he would know something was wrong.

So, with a little coaxing from Riley and a promise to sit in the back of the class, closest to the back door, Maya reluctantly followed Riley into class.

After sprinting to class and sliding into a back row seat 10 minutes late, the two of them tried to catch their breath and look as casual as possible. However, that wasn't enough for Cory.

"Riley, Maya," Cory said. "I got a note from your teacher in 5th period, he said you were absent in that class." Cory raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"Uh-uh-" Riley stuttered, looking to Maya for help. "I-I had to help Maya-with some homework in-study hall! We were in study hall during 5th period! He should have included that in the note, Dad."

Cory opened the note again, shooting a glance at Riley before deciding to drop it and resume the class discussion.

Wheezing out a sigh of relief, Riley leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. This had gone from being the most boring day to the most eventful day in a matter of a couple hours.

The first 30 minutes of class went well, but as the class began to reach an end, Riley could tell Maya was getting uncomfortable. Her knee, which had been still through most of the class, had begun to rapidly bounce again, and instead of resuming her staring contest with the floor, she began shooting wide-eyed looks of panic and desperation at Riley.

Raising her hand, Riley asked as innocently as she could, "Can Maya and I go to the bathroom for a sec?"

"Sure, guys, go ahead." Cory said, seeming to buy it as he tossed them a hall pass.


	5. Chapter 4

"Okay, we're going to the nurse." Riley said, flushing the toilet as she watched Maya collapse onto the bathroom floor once more.

"No-no we're not." Maya wheezed, still trying to catch her breath as she wiped her sweaty brow with her sleeve.

"This is ridiculous. You're really sick, Maya, _why_ won't you let me get help? _Why_?" Riley said, bending down and looking into Maya's weak eyes.

"Because-let's just get back to class.." Maya said hesitantly, starting to get up from the floor.

"Forget class-I wanna know what's wrong with you." Riley said firmly, pulling her back down.

"Ooo, forget class? I've never heard _that___side of Riley speak out before!" Maya said, raising her eyebrows.

"_Don't_ try to avoid the subject." Riley said. "Now, _tell _me _why_ you don't want help."

Sighing, Maya closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't."

"_Why not?_"

"Because!-I know you'll go off on me."

"Maya," Riley said, suddenly grabbing Maya's hand and sternly looking her in the eyes. "I'm your best friend. You can tell me _anything_ and _everything_. _No matter what_."

As Maya looked back at her, Riley eagerly anticipated an answer. _I've got her,_ she thought. _She'll finally tell me..._

Just then, the bell rang, and Maya diverted her glance as she slowly pushed herself from the floor.

_Rats_


	6. Chapter 5

As Riley started for her apartment complex after what felt like the longest day of her life, she was relaxed to think that the worst was behind her. Maya was in the comfort of her home now, lying under a blanket on the couch with as she waited for her mom to return from work.

Everything would be okay now; she would check on Maya before and after school tomorrow, and hopefully, after being nursed by her mom, she would be much better.

Well, that's what Riley was thinking, anyways.

Back at Maya's apartment, she was busy planning out how to appear and act as healthy as possible when her mom came home. But, no matter how healthy she tried to look as she practiced to herself in the bathroom mirror, it didn't seem to be good enough. Her sagging eyes, pale face, and the puke stain on her shirt just made it all to obvious that she was sick.

Maybe she could hide in her bedroom and pretend to be doing homework? Yeah, like that would work-her mom rarely ever saw her doing homework. What if she just laid on the couch and acted like she was asleep the whole night? _Definitely_ not: her stomach wouldn't be able to cooperate with her for that long.

_Oh, crap, _Maya suddenly thought to herself. _How am I gonna hide the fact that I throw up every freaking hour?_

Just then, Maya's mom hurried in, placing her stuff on the table as she untied her waitresses' apron.

"Hey, Maya." she said in her soft voice.

"Oh-hey, Mom." Maya said, quickly sliding her legs over the side of the couch and siting up, trying to appear as normal as possible.

"So, how was your day?" Katy Hart asked as she busied herself with putting away her assortment of work-related objects.

"Uh-it was fine." Maya said, uncomfortably glancing around the room as she tried to imagine an escape plan.

"Just fine? Anything exciting happen?" Maya's mom seemed unusually inquisitive today, unfortunately for Maya, who was beginning to feel a little nauseous again.

"Yep, just fine. Nothing-_too_ out of the ordinary, I guess."

A few moments of silence followed as Maya's mom bustled around the apartment, acting busy and pre-occupied as usual..

"Oh, hey, Maya-" Katy Hart suddenly said from the other room. "There's a carry-out box on the kitchen table; I brought home a tuna wrap for dinner."

That was enough to push Maya's stomach over the edge. Grabbing her coat and shoes, Maya rushed out the door, slamming it behind her without any explanation left for her bewildered mom.


	7. Chapter 6

So, Riley, how was school today? Did anything _interesting_ happen? Something worth telling us about?"

Riley looked up from her food as she heard Cory's voice. It was obvious that he hadn't forgotten about how suspicious things had gotten at school. Hesitating, she debated over whether it was okay to tell them now, since the whole situation seemed to be over.

"Well, I guess so." Riley began, deciding that she was in the clear. "During morning classes, Maya was-"

Suddenly, her sentence was interrupted by a loud _thud_ from upstairs in her bedroom. Riley's stomach jumped as she realized that Maya was probably upstairs, and that could only mean one thing: Maya was avoiding help from her mom.

"Maya was-what?" Cory smirked as he prodded Riley to finish her sentence.

"What was that?" Auggie said, still looking up at the ceiling.

"Ahaha-" Riley nervously chuckled, trying to figure out how to cover up the situation. "That was-probably just something falling off my shelf or something, I'd better go check."

Setting her plate in the sink, Riley turned to Topanga, "Thanks for dinner, Mom! I'll just be upstairs working on-"

Before Riley could finish, she heard the door to her bathroom fly open, and she knew what was going to come next. Diving across the counter for the blender, she flicked on the switch to drown out the sound of Maya vomiting.

"Hey, Mom!" Riley shouted over the electric roar of the blades. "Can I make a smoothie?"

"Riley, what are you doing?" Topanga tried to reach for the switch, but Riley jumped in front of it, awkwardly grinning. She was horrible at acting natural.

"Hand me those bananas, and I'll make you one, too!" Riley shouted, sliding back and forth as Topanga tried to reach behind her daughter and turn off the blender.

"Riley!" Topanga yelled in frustration, juking her daughter and dodging past her. As soon as she flipped off the blender, Riley dashed upstairs, realizing it was the only way to avoid questioning.

Panting, Topanga looked at her husband's calm grin; he had seen this situation before. Obviously, his wife hadn't.

"Cory, what has gotten into her?" Topanga asked, wide-eyed as she was still bewildered at what had just happened.

Cory shrugged, still smiling to himself. "I don't know, Topanga, but I do know that we can't force her to tell us. She has her reasons."

"Are you kidding?" Topanga said. "What if something's wrong?"

"Topanga, trust me. I've been in her shoes before."

_**Anybody know what Cory's talking about when he says, "Topanga, trust me. I've been in her shoes before." If not, I was referring to an episode in Boy Meets World: Season 1 called "The Fugitive", where Cory tries to hide Shawn in his room after he blows up a mailbox with a cherry bomb.**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Thanks to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story, I really appreciate your support! Also, to those of you who leave guest reviews, if you have a fanfiction account, I would appreciate it if you would leave your username so I can respond to your review. Thanks!**_

As Riley quickly slammed and locked her bedroom door behind her, what she found in her bathroom was not a pleasant sight.

Maya had her hands planted on the bathroom counter as she leaned over the running sink, taking deep breaths to wane away the unbearable feelings of queasiness. Her checkered flannel was sprawled on the floor, leaving her in a white tank top that had been stained earlier that day. Her hair was pulled back into a wavy ponytail, revealing the beads of sweat on her forehead and the back of her neck.

"Maya, what are you doing here?" Riley said, pulling a washcloth out from her cabinet and sticking it underneath the cold water. "I thought you'd get your mom's help once I dropped you off."

Maya didn't even bother to get back into that discussion, continuing to breathe deeply as Riley placed the cold washcloth on the back of her neck.

"I can't cover up all of this so easily, Maya-I mean, you know me, I'm the _worst_ at acting natural." Riley said.

"You turned on the blender.." Maya said, still leaning over the sink.

"Exactly! I'll give it away in no time at all!"

Just then, a knock was heard as Farkle appeared at the window. Crossing the room, Riley opened it up and plopped down on her window cushions as he crawled through.

"Maya's here?" Farkle said, glancing into the bathroom.

"Yep." Riley responded monotonously.

"Why?"

"Dunno."

"Did you get your parents?"

"Nope."

"Her mom?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

Riley sighed, looking with concern and despair at Maya, who hadn't even moved from the sink in the last few minutes. "She won't let me."


	9. Chapter 8

It was 3:45. _In the morning. _

Riley softly groaned as she glanced up at the clock on her bathroom wall. She had experienced both the longest day of her life and the longest night of her life only a few hours apart. She felt she deserved to be publicly honored for that, especially if you were dealing with a friend as stubborn as Maya.

Maya had refused to go home that night, and still hadn't given Riley an explanation as to _why_ she wouldn't get anyone else's help. So, sneaking a pillow and some blankets out of the hall closet, Riley transformed her tub into a pallet, and they both camped out in the bathroom for the night.

Not surprisingly, though, neither of them were able to sleep very well. Riley could only stay up and wrestle with her conscience: was she doing the right thing in helping Maya, or was she doing the wrong thing in not going for help?

Riley was only 13, so obviously, she had little experience in nursing others. There was only so much she could do when Maya was getting so sick so often, and after finally convincing Maya to let her take her temperature, she found that it was well over 100 degrees.

She couldn't ask her mom where any medicine was, otherwise she would figure out that something was wrong. So, she had been stuck with helplessly watching as Maya continued to get sick without any signs of getting better.

Riley opened her eyes as she heard Maya stirring in the bathtub, quickly jumping to her feet as she was afraid she would be sick again.

"Maya, you okay?" Riley asked, sitting on the edge of the tub.

Laying against the wall of the tub, Maya nodded as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine."

Riley continued to eye her friend as she shifted her position beneath the blankets; as she watched, she thought she had never seen Maya look so sick and miserable before.

In fact, once she thought about it, Riley had never seen Maya sick before. Ever.

"Hey, Maya," Riley began. "Have I ever seen you sick before?"

Glancing up at Riley, Maya shrugged.

"I mean, you've seen me sick _loads _of times. You've always been with me when I've gone to the nurse's office and stuff."

"So, what's it to you? Shouldn't you be glad you've never cleaned my barf before?"

Riley thoughtfully looked out into space for a second. "No, I shouldn't."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Maya chuckled. "What?"

"You're hiding something from me." Riley said determinedly. "And I need to know what."

Maya tried to roll over to avoid the conversation, but Riley stuck out her hand and stopped her.

"No, Maya, this is serious." Riley said. "If it weren't, you wouldn't be avoiding it like you are."

Maya hesitated, glancing up at Riley with her bloodshot eyes. "You're not gonna like what I'm gonna tell you."

"And why not?"

"Because, it's not what you agree with."

"Try me, Maya. What is it that you're so afraid to tell me?"

"Riley," Maya suddenly sat up. "I figured out pretty soon that I was going to need to learn how to be independent."

Riley paused. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean_, my life is unpredictable. My _parents_ are unpredictable."

_Oh, no. Yet another feeling Maya had decided to keep secret._

"So, I decided early on that it was easier not to rely on anyone _but _myself. Because I can _predict_ my actions and decisions. I can't predict theirs."

Riley felt awful. "Maya-"

"So, after my parents split up, I decided to get serious about learning to be independent. I started getting used to taking care of myself, whether I was healthy or not."

Riley tried to get the rest out of her. "So...you have trust issues?"

"Yes. I have trust issues."

"You don't trust others to take care of you? Is that why you don't want me to get help?"

"No, that's not what I'm getting at." Maya said, shaking her head. "Remember how I told you that if you hope for things, you get disappointed?"

Riley shook her head.

"Well, I don't want _my mom _taking care of me because I don't want to get close to her. I don't _need_ to get close to my mom. If we were to bond, it could someday end up hurting both of us."

Wow.That really hit Riley. _Hard._

"Plus, now that I've gotten used caring for myself without anybody else's help, I don't like having all that attention that comes with being sick." Maya added lightly, smiling at Riley. "It just embarrasses me, makes me feel weak and helpless."

Riley smiled back. There was that pride that made Maya stand out from others. But, unlike earlier that day, Riley now felt she understood it better.

"But, you do understand that you have to ask for help _sometimes_, right, Maya?" Riley asked. While she did understand her friend better now, she felt that her independent spirit could have negative consequences at some point.

Maya nodded. "I do."

"So, are you ready for me to get some help?" Riley asked eagerly, ready to leap off the edge of the tub and make a beeline for her parent's room.

"No. We just went over this." Maya said.

Sighing, Riley slid onto the floor, laying her head against the bathtub in sheer exhaustion.

"But," Maya continued as she laid her head on her pillow. "You do need to know that I really appreciate how you've been so caring for me today. I don't think there are too many friends out there that are loyal to the extent of refusing to leave their friend's side while they vomit for hours on end."

Riley turned towards Maya, smiling. "Thank you."

"You can definitely expect to be lonely when being so independent, so it can feel good to have someone to be with you when you really need them." Maya grinned.

"And, Riley, there's no one better to share my loneliness with than sharing it with you."


	10. Chapter 9

_**I am in the process of writing Chapter 10, and I'm hoping to get it up tomorrow afternoon! Thank you all for the reviews and support, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **_

_Clap clap clap clap..._

As Riley bounded through the front door and sprinted across the living room floor, her boots noisily echoed throughout the apartment. Giving her mom a brief greeting, she disappeared up the stairs, leaving Topanga and Auggie continuing to wonder what was up with her.

Cory followed calmly behind, silently closing the door with a relaxed grin on his face; everything about his sly demeanor revealed that he knew something.

"What do you know?" Topanga said, squinting at him in suspicion as she and Auggie closed their book they had been reading.

Pulling up a chair at the kitchen table, Cory sighed as he happily glanced towards the heavens and reached for Topanga's hand. "I know that we're good parents. _Great parents_."

"What did _we _do?" Topanga asked, continuing to uneasily eye her husband before suddenly gasping. "Did Riley..."

"Yes, she did! She told me what was going on!"

"Awesome!" Topanga grinned, squeezing Cory's hand.

"See, I told you that if we just _waited _and _trusted_ Riley to do the right thing, she would come to us." Cory said, grinning as he tried to calmly speak and maintain his enthusiastic spirit. "I _told_ you I had been in her shoes before, and _I knew_ how this whole thing would end."

"Okay, so what did she tell you?"

Cory's excitement suddenly turned solemn. "See, that's the downside to all of this. Apparently, Maya's been sick. _Really _sick."

Topanga's motherly nature kicked in as soon as Cory said that, her eyes widening and her facial expression contracting into concern. "What? So, _that's _who Riley was hiding here last night? Why didn't Maya just go to her mom?"

"Now, she won't tell me _that_.."

"Why not?"

"Topanga, I don't know. If she won't tell me, then how can I know?"

Resting her head in her hands, Topanga stared out into space in thoughtful concern. "Cory, this isn't good. If Maya feels like she can't go to her mom..."

"I know, Topanga. But, in the meantime, Riley's upstairs getting ready and we're going over to Maya's place to check on her...we'll do what we can for Maya until she tells us what's going on."

"She won't tell you what's going on, Dad." Riley suddenly appeared downstairs, sticking her arms through the sleeves of her coat as she addressed her parents. "She barely even told _me_ what was going on, and _I'm _her _best friend_."

"Okay, well then, we'll call her mom and-" Topanga began.

"No, Mom." Riley interrupted. "Maya won't like that."

"Well, can you tell us why?"

"She wouldn't like that, either."

Topanga chuckled under her breath in distress, then heavily sighed before continuing. "Riley, exactly _how_ sick is Maya?"

"She said she'd been throwing up every hour..." Cory said.

"And her temperature was over 100 degrees." Riley continued, finishing her father's sentence.

"Well, then if Maya is _that_ sick, _we need_ to call her mother." Topanga said firmly.

Riley instantly opened her mouth to argue. "But-"

"_No. _No 'buts'." Topanga said. "Maya _needs_ her mom."

"Mom. Just trust me." Riley pleaded, desperation evident in her face and her voice. "_Please_. I know more than you do. _Just trust me_."

Topanga shared a questioning glance with Cory, who just shrugged.

"Topanga, from my past experience with Shawn, I remember that I tried to have respect for his decision and just went with it." Cory said.

"_But_, you _later _stood your ground and urged him to _do_ _the right thing_!" Topanga argued.

"In that case, it _was_ the right thing, and what I did _was_ for his benefit...what if the right thing isn't what we think it is with Maya?"

Topanga seemed to be trying to convince herself for a moment, then finally rolled her eyes and hesitantly gave in with a sigh. "Fine. Riley, I _trust you_ and _your judgement _of this situation. Okay?"

Riley nodded. "Okay."


	11. Chapter 10

Maya?"

Riley and her family came into the apartment, glancing around as they searched for Maya.

"In here!" Maya monotonously called out from her bedroom.

Riley spun around, silently motioning for her family to stay back for a second as she headed for her bedroom.

Maya gave her friend a miserable glare as she lay sprawled beneath the bedcovers, a wastebasket by her bedside for the moments when she couldn't sprint to the bathroom in time. Her pale face and the exhaustion in her eyes expressed that today had been an exact copy of yesterday, if not even more gruesome.

"Are you okay?" Riley said, her eyebrows furrowing into a concerned expression as she knelt down to eye level with Maya.

Rolling onto her back and covering her face with her hands, Maya let out a muffled moan. "Not at all. Isn't a 24 hour stomach bag supposed to last for _only_ 24 hours?"

Riley sighed, feeling sympathy and helplessness towards her best friend. At least now she had brought someone who could be of better help to Maya.

"Well, I know you'll probably kill me, but I brought someone who might be able to help..." Riley said, starting for the doorway and motioning for her mom to come in.

Maya bolted up, shooting a fierce glare full of shock at Riley. "You didn't.."

"No, I didn't bring who _think_ I brought, but I can assure you that this person knows what she's doing..."

Maya's face flushed in embarrassment, turning her head so as to avoid eye contact with Topanga as she crossed the room. "Hey, Mrs. Matthews..."

"Hey, Maya." Sitting on the edge of Maya's bed, Topanga gently placed her hand on Maya's knee and tried to coax her to look at her. "Are you alright?"

Before Maya could answer, Riley quickly stepped in and answered for her, knowing that Maya would have lied. "She's _not_ okay. She's still sick, and 24 hour bugs _aren't_ supposed to last this long."

Topanga raised her eyebrows at Maya in question, waiting for a conformation on Riley's statement.

Maya humbly nodded, continuing to avoid eye contact with Topanga. "She's right."

Maya cowered away slightly as Topanga reached out and softly placed a hand on Maya's hot forehead. Her arm stretching out for the thermometer on the nightstand, Topanga tried to take Maya's temperature, until Maya gently took it from her.

"Its alright, Mrs. Matthews, I can do it..." Maya softly said.

"Maya," Topanga gently responded, laying her hand on Maya's arm as she looked into her eyes. "You don't need to be embarrassed to be sick. We're _here_ for you."

Hesitating as she gave a cautious glance to Topanga, Maya finally relaxed a little and nodded.

Topanga kindly smiled at Maya, then began to handle everything with skill and expertise as her motherly instincts took over. She made sure Maya was comfortable as her temperature was being taken, fluffing her pillows and rearranging her bedsheets as Riley ran for a cold washcloth to drape on the back of her neck.

As soon as Topanga examined the thermometer, she turned to Riley and said, "Honey, could you run down to the drug store and pick up some Benadryl? You can get some money from your dad."

Maya's eyes widened as she looked directly at Topanga. "Mr. Matthews is here, too?"

Topanga nodded as Riley ran out the door. "Yes, he is...Cory, you can come on in!"

Groaning, Maya flopped back onto her pillows and squeezed her eyes shut. "Why don't you just invite the whole neighborhood..."

Topanga sympathetically rubbed Maya's arm as Cory came in, pulling up a chair from the corner and smiling at Maya. "Hey, Maya. How're you feeling?"

"I'll be fine." Maya answered meekly.

"Her temperature is still pretty high, so I sent Riley out to get some Benadryl to bring it down and settle her stomach...Maya, when was the last time you got sick today?" Topanga said.

Maya shrugged. "About half an hour ago, I guess..."

Topanga glanced at her watch, nodding as she stood up. "I'm going to go get you something to drink, do you want some Sprite or water?"

Shaking her head, Maya responded, "Thanks, Mrs. Matthews, but that won't help anything. I haven't been able to keep anything down since yesterday."

Topanga's eyes anxiously met Cory's as she wondered how to help Maya. "Cory, this isn't good, she could get dehydrated..." She whispered.

"Maya, when was the last time you _tried_ to drink?" Cory asked.

"Probably this morning.." Maya responded.

"Just try giving her some water, and we'll see what happens from there." Cory suggested.

Topanga nodded, heading for the kitchen as Cory turned to Maya. "You know, Maya, we wouldn't have minded if you had just told us you were sick. Your mom wouldn't have minded, either."

The bedsheets twisted into a mess again as Maya moved around uncomfortably, diverting her eyes from Cory's. "I know..."

Cory understandingly gazed at Maya with a gentle smile; the upside to knowing a best friend as trying and confusing as Shawn was that Cory already felt like he knew Maya. So, handling the situations that she brought to Riley and the family was almost easy. _Almost._

"You know, Maya..." Cory began, settling into the chair comfortably as he propped his elbows on his knees. "Shawn wasn't the easiest best friend to have, and there are things we've experienced that you would be shocked at if you found out about them. But, no matter what has happened to us throughout our lives, I still love the guy to death."

Maya glanced up at Cory with a soft smile as he continued.

"So, that means you should feel comfortable to share with us any problem you have, because I can assure you that I've probably handled things that are much worse."

"You see, I was _just like_ Riley when I was your age. Whatever kind of trouble Shawn got into, I laid the responsibility of dragging him out of it on my shoulders. And, trust me, Maya: Shawn got into _a ton_ of difficult situations back then."

Maya returned Cory's kind, fatherly grin with a chuckle.

"In fact, I have a story pretty similar to what you're going through now." Cory said, preparing to tell a story that he and Shawn looked back on to laugh about now. "When Shawn and I were in sixth grade, Shawn was the proud owner of a large, ripe cherry bomb. One day, when he was feeling extra-tempted to try it out, he found a match box in the parking lot of my dad's grocery store and lit it. And do you know what he did afterwards?"

Maya shook her head.

"He threw it into the mailbox in panic and destroyed it."

Cory and Maya began laughing at what had once been such a serious situation, but was now a hilarious memory.

"It definitely wasn't funny at the moment, though. In fact, Shawn was so terrified of how badly his parents would punish him that he was determined to run away. He asked me to hide him in my room for a couple of days _without _my parents' knowledge, so I did. Just like what Riley did with you last night."

"He chose to turn to _my_ help instead of going to _his parents_ for help, and he almost ran away because of that decision."

Bowing her head, Maya uncomfortably rubbed the back of her neck as the story tied into her. "I'm sorry, Mr. Matthews. It's just...you don't understand _why _I chose Riley over my mom."

"We know, Maya." Topanga said, appearing behind Cory's chair and handing Maya a glass of water. "But, you _are_ the one who told us you needed to be able to talk to us, right?"

Cory turned to Maya, seriousness covering up the previous laughter of moments earlier. "Maya, we'll try our best to be understanding if you try your best to tell us...what's going on?"


	12. Chapter 11

January's icy breeze froze and reddened the cheeks of New Yorkers as they walked the routes to their destinations, bundled in their heavy coats, tight toboggan hats, and furry mittens. The now orange sky had insisted all day on staying at its same, depressing shade of grey, blending in a little with the similar color of the skyscrapers in the city.

Most people were trying to hail a taxi on a Friday night so frigid, shouting for one's attention as their warm breath puffed out like smoke once came into contact with the cold air.

As Cory and Riley crossed the darkening streets of NYC, their mittened hands digging into the warmth of their pockets, they were beginning to feel a little more light-hearted as they were finally headed to the Nighthawk Cafe. With gentle urging from the Matthews, Maya had hesitantly allowed Cory and Riley to go get her mom.

However, while sharing secretive glances with Riley, she wouldn't tell Cory or Topanga her reasons for being so stubborn on getting care from her mom. The last thing Maya wanted to do was create _more worry_ and concern for the Matthews when it came to her home life.

So, after answering one short question from them, she left them with confusion and assumptions as to what could really be going on inside Maya's mind:

_"Maya," Topanga had firmly asked after unsuccessfully coaxing Maya to open up to them, "Just answer this question: do you feel like you can tell things to your mom?" _

_With obvious hesitation and discomfort, Maya finally answered, "No."_

Since Cory and Topanga both knew that was as much as they were going to be allowed to hear, they unhappily settled with it and stayed with Maya for awhile. However, after she continued to get sick while they were around, they finally convinced Maya to let them go to Maya's mother:

_Leaning against the frame of bathroom door, arms folded against his chest, Cory sadly watched as his wife comforted Maya while she bent over the toilet. Topanga shared an anxious look with Cory as she glanced over her shoulder, continuing to rub Maya's back._

_Maya finally stood up a couple seconds later, closing her eyes as she breathed in heavily. While she leaned back against the wall, Topanga kept a worried eye on her as she straightened up the bathroom._

_"I'm sorry, Maya.." Topanga whispered once she stood beside her, softly running her fingers through Maya's messy hair as she looked at her fevered cheeks with a great deal of concern._

_Cory thoughtfully glanced at her as well, thinking that sooner or later, they would __**have**__ to convince Maya to let them get her mom, especially since Maya said her mom was working a really late shift tonight and wouldn't be back until past midnight._

_"Maya, it's time we went to your mom for help." He said, stepping into the bathroom and bending down to her eye level, as she and Topanga had slid onto the floor._

_Rolling her eyes with a stubborn groan, Maya whimpered, "I didn't even __**ask**__ for someone to take care of me. And since you guys seem to think I need help, why don't you guys just do it? You're already here anyways." _

_"Because, __**we're not **__who you __**need**__." Cory said firmly. "You __**need**__ your mom."_

_"No, I don't..."_

_"Yes, you do!" Cory insisted with a frustrated laugh. "This is getting to be __**really**__ ridiculous!"_

_"Cory..." Topanga said sternly, shocked that he would lose his patience enough to say something like that. _

_"Topanga, it is! __**You know **__it is!" Cory raised his voice in frustration. "Maya, __**why **__won't you just __**let**__ your mom __**take care**__ of you?"_

_With another eye roll and sigh, Maya was ready to give in. She didn't expect them to understand her; they hadn't experienced what she was feeling. So, thinking this was the only way to protect her emotions, she threw in the towel before things would get out of hand. _

_"Alright, fine...go get my mom..." Maya growled, trudging out of the bathroom and towards the couch. "I don't even care anymore..." _

_Topanga and Cory still weren't satisfied; it was obvious that Maya was unhappy and upset over the decision, but it was all they could do for her at the moment. _

As the neon sign finally reached Cory and Riley's line of vision, they jogged across the street and stepped into the warmth of the cafe.

"Hey, Cory, Riley...can I get you all something?" Katy Hart kindly smiled at the two of them as they came in, collecting dishes from empty tables.

"Ah, no thanks, Katy...we're not here to eat." Cory returned politely, following her as she made her way behind the counter. "We're just here to tell you something."

Pausing her work, Katy looked up at Cory with confusion in her eyes. "Of course, what is is?"

"Um, well, Maya has been pretty sick since yesterday morning." Cory began, nervously wringing his hands. This was not an easy thing to tell Katy, considering the fact that she should have already known that...however, that's where Maya's stubbornness came in.

Katy's eyes grew with concern once Cory finished; that would sort of explain why Maya had suddenly dashed out of their apartment the night before. Even so, it still didn't make much since as to _why _she would even runaway in the first place...

"Oh...well, is she alright?" Katy asked.

"Um, no...not really." Cory said. "You see, she's been throwing up consistently and has had a high fever for awhile now."

The only response that followed was silence; Katy Hart wanted nothing more than to go to her daughter and care for her. But, like Maya, she just wasn't sure that it was the best thing for both of them. She tried to keep her distance from Maya for a reason...and surely, Maya had her reasons for avoiding her mom like she was.

Still, Katy felt something inside of her that urgently prodded her to go with Cory and Riley; maybe it was the fact that she didn't want to appear as a horrible mother by insisting on staying at the cafe...or maybe it was a voice that was telling her to finally step in, work things out, and be a proper mother to Maya.

Katy gave in with hesitancy. "Okay...let me just, uh, let my boss know I'm leaving, and I'll be going with you all."

"Thank you, Katy." Cory said, smiling politely. He could tell that this was somehow hard for Katy...he just didn't know _why._

When they all reached the apartment, they walked in to find Maya and Topanga on the couch together, Maya's head resting on Topanga's shoulder as she slept. Topanga smiled as they came in, mouthing a silent 'hello' to Katy in order not to interfere with Maya's uneasy sleep.

Katy softly frowned at her poor daughter, laying against someone else's mother instead of her own. She felt utterly horrible that her own daughter didn't feel like she could come to her mother when she really needed to, even though she was beginning to feel used to it.

Topanga gently began to get up from the couch, holding Maya's head in place so that Katy could slip into her spot and have Maya's head lay on her shoulder.

Mouthing 'thank you' as the Matthews quietly left, Katy glanced down at her sleeping daughter, then noticed the wastebasket a few feet away. Is this what Maya had to go through when her mom wasn't around? All those times when Maya pretended to be okay and tried to avoid her...was she actually as sick as she is now?

Katy suddenly reached over to kiss her daughter's warm forehead. Stroking her hair, she sighed before whispering, "I'm sorry, Maya."

_**Hey, all! This is the last chapter of the story (and I'm sorry if you want to kill me for the way I ended it), but I hope you all enjoyed it! Again, thank you all so much for your support!**_


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